Biden says Republicans need to ‘stand up’ as impeachment trial readies to hear Trump defence

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox

Get our free Inside Washington email

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

President Joe Biden has said that he’s “anxious” to see how Senate Republicans will act in the impeachment trial and whether they will “stand up,” in rare comments as the President has been trying to stay out of the limelight during the trial.

“I’m just anxious to see what my Republican friends do, if they stand up,” Mr Biden told CNN in his first statement on the trial since the Democratic House impeachment managers rested their case Thursday.

He added that he doesn’t plan on talking to any of the Senators about the impeachment trial or about how they might vote.

While not explicit, the comments strongly indicate that Mr Biden believes his predecessor in the oval office is guilty and should be convicted of his offences.

A conviction is unlikely as the vast majority of Senate Republicans hold on to the argument that putting a former president on trial is unconstitutional in their haste to acquit Mr Trump.

Mr Biden briefly spoke to reporters on Friday morning as he visited a Valentine’s Day display set up by first lady Jill Biden on the north lawn of the White House.

Read more: Follow live updates on Mr Trump’s second impeachment trial

The ten House Republicans who voted to impeach Mr Trump have been censured by their state parties. The only Senator who changed his vote on the constitutionality of the trial, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, was also censured by his state Republican Party.

The Louisiana GOP said in a statement that they were “profoundly disappointed” in Mr Cassidy’s vote in support of the constitutionality of the trial after the first day of arguments in the proceedings.

Mr Biden and his White House staff have been trying to avoid talking about the trial to focus on their own agenda. He told reporters Thursday that “I’m focused on my job, to deal with the promises I made. And we all know we have to move on”.

“My guess is some minds may be changed,” Mr Biden added. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that “he was not intending to give a projection or prediction”.

Republican strategist Mike DuHaime told The New York Times Thursday: “The longer Donald Trump stays central to the news, the better it is for Biden. The constant reminder of Trump’s worst actions makes Biden look great by comparison, simply by acting sane.”

Mr DuHaime added that as long as Mr Trump is in the news, it “distracts attention from any controversial policy or personnel moves Biden is making during his first 100 days”.